Chess in Alaska
HistoryAs a non-contiguous state, Alaska has had limited chess opportunities.[4] The cost of traveling to and from the contiguous states has discouraged chess participation across the state. For example, Alaska was one of three states that did not send a participant to the 2015 Dewain Barber Tournament of K–8 Champions.[5] In 2012, Grandmaster Bryan Smith recounted his experiences as a child chess player from Anchorage.[4] At age 13, Smith competed in the Alaska junior championship, finishing in third place for his age category. At the 1994 Fur Rendezvous Festival, GM Dmitry Gurevich conducted a simultaneous exhibition that Smith participated in. At the 2023 World Eskimo Indian Olympics, Vince Gregory displayed a chess set carved out of ivory and baleen.[6] On National Chess Day 2023, chess players from Illinois competed in a Fairbanks chess tournament.[7] At the tournament, Megan Chen became the first woman to play a rated tournament in all 50 states. On January 26, 2024, West Homer Elementary School hosted a chess tournament.[8] The event consisted of competitors from Chapman School, Connections, Fireweed Academy, McNeil Canyon Elementary, West Homer Elementary and Homer Middle School. The tournament was orchestrated by a local volunteer. In 2024, a group of Alaskans established the Alaska Chess Club.[9] The club hosts tournaments at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library conference room in Juneau. A KTOO article documenting the club's seventh tournament was published on December 20, 2024. In the article, tournament organizer Maen Wolf stated that he started the club to expand over-the-board chess opportunities in the area. The state's largest chess tournament in 2024 was an event in Soldotna hosted by the Arctic Chess Club.[10] The tournament consisted of 33 players. On May 18, 2025, the Sitka Chess Club hosted its first USCF chess tournament at Harrigan Centennial Hall.[11] The first state championship since 2013 will take place on October 4, 2025.[12] CompetitorsAs of August 2025, the following people are the top rated active USCF players from Alaska:[1]
Other top Alaska chess players who aren't currently active USCF members include NM Rafael Castaneda (2240 Rating), NM Edward G Sawyer (2234 Rating), and NM Artem Edmund Ruppert (2229 Rating). State championshipAlaska has not had an in-person state championship since 2013.[12] The next Alaska State Championship will take place on October 4, 2025, at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel. See alsoReferences
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